Kids' toothbrush handles are often fancifully decorated with colorful stickers having generic or licensed designs. Such designs are not only attractive and aesthetically pleasing, but usually drive the decision amongst a variety of brushes adorned with different designs.
It is known in the art to provide handle designs that are either two-dimensional or three-dimensional. The typical two-dimensional design is usually a decorative sticker or label of unlimited detail that is adhered or shrunk wrap to the handle and conforms to the shape of the handle. The production and application of the sticker adds an insignificant cost to the manufacture of the handle, as the sticker is manufactured separately and the application of such sticker usually requires a single manufacturing step. Such sticker or label provides a high level of flexibility for applying a complex decorative design to the handle of toothbrush. However, such decorative stickers or labels usually retain their two-dimensional character relative to a smooth, uncontoured or unsculpted handle.
Three-dimensional designs can take many forms. For example, some designs are molded and form part of the handle structure as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,242. In another example, an undecorated and uncontoured handle could be inserted into a preformed three-dimensional decorated sleeve as shown in U.S. Patent D426,958, which sleeve could be manufactured in a more efficient manner separately from the toothbrush and solely contributes to the three-dimensional character of the handle. In the molded example, and possibly also the sleeve example, multiple paint operations applied to the three-dimensional feature are usually required to deliver an aesthetically pleasing, colorful design. Each paint operation delivers a particular color to a particular area of the design, which requires a separate manufacturing step at an incremental added cost. The more paint operations, the greater the cost.
Manufacturers that use licensed designs must often comply with certain aesthetic requirements imposed by the licensor. Such requirements may require a certain level of detail that can only be accomplished with a certain number of paint operations, for example. However, if the number of paint operations makes the design too expensive to manufacture, then the licensee must negotiate the use of a simpler design to the potential commercial detriment of both the licensor and the manufacturer. There is a need, therefore, for a way to provide a three-dimensional design that is aesthetically intricate and economical to manufacture.